Global Scans · Design · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Design thinking will increasingly play a key role in improving systems and customer experiences. Companies will re-learn their approach to innovation and embrace human-centred design principles. Designers will begin to apply knowledge of human interaction, specifically in the area of how we earn trust and respect, to AI systems.

• [New] MIT engineers' design could lead to a new class of aerial-aquatic vehicles for ocean exploration. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• [New] Microsoft is urging organizations to begin with strategy, ownership, and inventory, while also modernizing protocols and designing new systems with crypto-agility in mind, adding that starting earlier can reduce risk while helping avoid disruptive, rushed migrations later. Campus Technology
• [New] Microsoft said its near-term work will focus on three areas: upgrading network cryptography, building crypto-agility for stored data and modernizing cryptographic trust chains used for identity, signing and certificates. Campus Technology
• [New] Beginning in 2030, the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover is expected to join the search with specialized instruments designed to look for stronger chemical evidence. ScienceDaily
• [New] Tetra Pak Bioreactor RF is designed to reduce operational risk and remove complexity, helping operators stay in control. CNS Media
• [New] Design and IP risks are rising as 3D assets move across contractors, suppliers, and global teams. Mean CEO's BLOG
• [New] The US Space Force has proven it has battlefield teeth like the other armed forces by adding Meadowlands to its arsenal - a ground-based space weapon designed to blind, bamboozle, and blast orbital threats with electromagnetic beams. New Atlas
• [New] By 2030, all new infrastructure projects are to use AI, IoT, GIS and BIM from design to supervision, QC and operation with full transformation occurring by 2035. Last Week in ConTech
• [New] Spike Aerospace is developing the Spike S-512 Diplomat, a next-generation quiet supersonic business jet designed to dramatically reduce travel times while addressing the environmental, safety, and community considerations that will define the future of high-speed flight. Spike Aerospace
• [New] If design output becomes a free feature inside larger software bundles, Canva's freemium funnel and pricing power could erode well before it builds a durable enterprise moat. Danelfin AI
• [New] Gartner expects AI-powered design systems to be standard in 68% of enterprises in 2026. Riseup Labs
• [New] A company called Campus Guardian Angel will run pilot programs in schools in Georgia and Florida in Fall 2026 to introduce drones that are designed to swarm, distract, crash into, and even shoot irritants at potential school shooters. Electronic Frontier Foundation
• [New] The collaboration with Siemens and NVIDIA, which is currently being piloted in the US before being rolled out globally, will use digital twins (virtual models) and AI-agents to co-design new production and warehousing facilities. FoodNavigator.com
• [New] Johnson Space Center in Houston will be home to the willing participants who are set for a yearlong Moon and Mars Exploration Analog experience designed to help keep potential space travelers safe and mission-ready during future stays on the Red Planet or Earth's natural satellite. theregister
• [New] A new big-data analysis of the U.S. pinpoints how urban design aids the health of city residents - especially when cities provide walking opportunities, greenery, and mixed-use streets with a blend of commercial and residential activity. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• [New] To maximize growth, ORM software providers must broaden their offerings to cover process safety management (PSM), have an open architecture to support greater integrations with industrial systems and incorporate digital twins to visually communicate risk. Default
• [New] Emerging risks and trends impacting LinkedIn careers are rapid changes in job roles, skill requirements, and hiring practices driven by technology, economic shifts, and evolving definitions of professional identity. LinkedIn
• [New] The EU Smart Borders Initiative has allocated substantial capital funding for biometric technology modernization, with implementation expected to generate standardized identity verification protocols across European borders. Persistence Market Research
• [New] The use of artificial intelligence in drug R&D will allow for quicker identification of targets, selection of candidates, and design of clinical trials. tradingkey.com
• [New] IBM has unveiled a new chip design which it says could enable manufacturers to cram 100 billion transistors on a silicon chip the size of a fingernail. BBC News

Last updated: 13 July 2026